Private, Parochial and Home School Students

Private, parochial, and home school students who live in the Francis Howell School District attendance area are eligible to attend the Spectra program if they meet the same program qualifications as public-school students. The referral process begins with the parents determining their school attendance area based on their home address. This information is available on the District website. Parents should then contact Kaylee Terry, at Administration, and the Gifted Education Specialist at their school, who will begin the referral process.

When a student qualifies for the Spectra program, the parents are responsible for transporting the student to and from school for the scheduled class times. The child will not be allowed to attend school all day. However, the child may attend for recess, lunch, and special area classes, as those periods are typically scheduled between the Spectra classes. Outside of Spectra program minutes, a child may spend up to thirty minutes in a regular classroom depending on the Gifted Education Specialist’s availability. The child will be placed in a class with other Spectra students for lunch, recess, and special area classes. Parents may opt to pick up the student during the lunch, recess and special area classes and return the student for only the Spectra program time. If the parent would like the eligible child to attend a school other than the one in his/her attendance area, they must apply for and receive a boundary exemption from the FHSD administration office.